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Open Thread

The Weekly Watch

Florida Springs

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Most people think "Beach" when they hear Florida Vacation, but the Florida Springs were the first tourist attractions. Even Ponce de León, the first European to visit Florida was said to be in search of the fountain of youth. I don't know if Florida springs make you younger, but they sure cool you off in summer with their year round 72F degree waters. Last week, with a group of musicians and friends, we gathered at Rainbow springs about 1.5 hours north of Tampa. Let's look at Rainbow and several other Florida springs I've visited over the years as well as the Florida spring system below the fold...

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Album of the Week 7-26-25

Afternoon folks!

Another week, another load of good stuff. Starting off we've got a Chicago blues singer with a bunch of Willie Dixonish material, Big Time Sarah. After that it's down and dirty blues with Big Bad Smitty followed by a Chicago blues harmonica player, Big Wheeler. After that it's on to an album from slide guitar wizard Bob Brozman and we finish up in the diversity department with some zydeco with Chubby Carrier.

Enjoy the tunes and have a great weekend!

Open Thread - 07-25-25 - Nothing New Under the Sun

I've never been a particularly religious man, but I've always been curious about how we humans fit in with the cosmos, in the grand scheme, and with nature in the small.

When I was in my teens that curiosity led me to The Bible. I started with the Old Testament and was struck by its endless begattings and wholesale brutality and genocide. To my young mind it was not much more than a chronicle of births and deaths, and wars, both personal and of a people, with an underlying essence of fear. Fear of consequences for not adhering to a belief system emanating from a singular high authority and ultimately, a system of control.

Adhering to this belief system was the way, and the only way, into the Kingdom of Heaven.

I did not buy in.

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